Team CEMN
by NoXIV
Summary: What if Teams RWBY & JNPR were the bad guys? What if Cinder and the gang were the good guys? A/U where Teams RWBY & JNPR are the bad guys and Cinder and her gang are doing the saving.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **Hey, guys. No XIV here. So, I came up with the idea of this story when I couldn't sleep one night and started to randomly think 'What if Ruby and Cinder switched places?' One thing led to another and ta-da, here's the 1'st chapter. Hope you guys like it. If you do, please leave a review. If you don't, please leave a review, as well. Constructive criticism is always appreciated**

The civilians all stayed clear of the path of the group of men wearing red and black. There were quite a number of them and the one leading the pack was someone who was not unknown to the criminal underworld, with his dark blue eyes that showed just how much he's been through over the years and messy blonde hair, he wore a pure black armor with gold lining over a black hoodie with similarly-colored bracers in addition to also sporting a pair of black gloves. With a pair of blue pants on and his trusty weapon, Crocea Mors, sheathed and strapped to his side, he and the group of men walks into a simple small dust shop, Dust Till Dawn. The bystanders inside, sensing the danger that was about to come a mile away, quickly fled the scene, leaving the defenseless old man behind the counter to fend for himself.

"Honestly, buddy.. It sure is hard finding a dust shop that is still open at this hour" Jaune says, arms crossed as he stares at the old man "Oh, where are my manners? Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet. Rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it" At this point, one of the men then takes out a gun and points it at the old man.

"Please" The old man says, pleading for his life "Just take my lien and leave"

"Shhhh.. Calm down, old timer.. We're not here for the money. Grab the dust" Jaune orders the men, to which they then begin to fill empty containers full of dust. One of the men then places an empty box on the counter "Crystals. Now" The old man, scared for his life, complies. As one of the grunts were preparing to fill another empty container with dust, he notices a girl at the back of the store, reading a comic book. Glaring at the girl, he pulls out a sword.

"Hey! You! Hands in the air" The man shouted but to no avail. Seeing that the girl had headphones one, the man got closer to the girl and grabbed hold of her shoulder, turning her around so she could face him. Surprised, the girl took the headphones out to address the stranger.

"Hmm? Can I help you?" the girl asks, confusion evident in her eyes.

"I said put your hands in the air"

"Are you… robbing me?" The girl asks innocently.

"Yeah, what does it look like I'm doing?!" The man answered, getting more pissed off by the second

"Oh.. Okay"

Back at the front of the shop, Jaune was busy minding his own business and admiring the dust crystals when suddenly, one of his men was sent flying past him and hit the wall behind him, knocking him out. Unfazed by what just happened, he signals for another one of his men to see what was going on. Unfortunately, he met the same fate as his colleague before him, as the moment he pointed the gun at the girl, he was sent flying outside through the store window. Jaune along with the rest of the men, surprised by what just happened, poked their heads out to see who was responsible for all this.

And there, in the middle of the street, stood a girl with ashen-black hair with bright amber eyes wearing a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, v-neck dress with yellow designs while also sporting dark, high-heeled shoes. The girl has a blades in each hand, each the color of silver, broad and has multiple cutting edges. She then turns towards the dust shop with Jaune and the men still inside, confused as to what they're looking at. She then points her blade and them, gesturing them to bring it.

Jaune, looking at the men he had hired, simply sighs "You know, guys, I am _literally_ paying you to deal with stuff like this so, you know, get her". At Jaune's orders, the three remaining grunts then charge at the girl, each one of them a red machete in hand. The girl, clearly not intimidated by this, dodges the first attack and then proceeds to leap at one of them, kicking him in the head and sending him flying to a nearby lamp post. The other two, now more cautious of the girl, then proceed to attack at the same time. The girl smirks at this as she dodges each of their attacks with ease before dispatching one of the men with the blunt edge of her swords before turning her attention to the last one by hitting him with a spinning roundhouse kick, which sends him flying to Jaune's feet, unconscious.

"You guys are worth _every_ cent. Truly, you were" Jaune then focuses his attention on the girl in front of him, her blades still at the ready with police sirens blaring in the background "You know, black, this has been a pleasure and I would stick around but I'm afraid that this is where we part ways" Jaune then proceeds to reach into one of his pockets and takes out a flashbang, a flashbang that explosed the instant Jaune threw it at the girls direction. Blinded by the attack, the girl quickly regains her sights and frantically searches for Jaune only to see him climbing a ladder on the side of a building. Not letting him escape, the girl then quickly rushes towards the building, climbing the ladder before cornering Jaune at the edge of the building.

"Hey!" shouts the girl

"Persistent little brat" Jaune mumbles to himself. At that moment, a Bullhead appears that hovers to a stop in front of the building. Jaune, seizing the opportunity, then jumps on the Bullhead but not before saying his farewells to the girl by throwing a red dust to the girls feet and shooting it, causing a small explosion to occur. "See ya later, you black brat!" However, his celebration was cut short as at the last moment, a Hunter came flying from above and saves the girl from the explosion. The Hunter then proceeds to lift a nearby water tower on the roof of the building and throw it at the escaping Bullhead, causing it a significant amount of damage.

"We got a Hunter out here!" Jaune shouts to the woman piloting the Bullhead, who, in a flash of rose petals, appears in front of the entrance of the Bullhead. As her silver eyes glow with every intent to kill, she takes out her weapon of choice, a scythe, before shooting a powerful Dust-infused round at the two people on the roof of the building. Seeing the attack coming, the Hunter immediately puts himself in harms way by shielding the girl, protecting her from any injuries. Seeing that the two of them were now distracted, Jaune then quickly pilots the Bullhead away from the building.

The girl, still shocked from what just happened, turns towards the Hunter beside her. The man was a large, muscular man with short brown hair, a beard and hazel eyes. He was sporting a two-tone olive green coat over a black sleeve shirt, and a large belt. His pants were black and his boots are brown with white fronts while his hairy arms appear to have some scars near the edges of his sleeves. "You're a Hunter" the girl exclaimed. A few moments of silence follows before the girl speaks again "The way you just swooped in to save me was so cool!"

 _An hour later_

The girl was now sitting on a chair in front of a table in a dark room with the source of light coming from the lamp on the table in front of her, a sullen expression on her face.

"I hope you realize what you've done tonight, young lady, as they will not be taken lightly and will have their consequences" The Hunter says as he paces from one side of the room to another "Other people around you, not to mention yourself, were put in great danger because of your actions tonight."

"But sir, they started it" The girl said, trying to defend herself. Unfortunately for her, it was only met with a glare in return, which caused her to sink into her seat even lower.

"If it were up to me, you would be sent home… with a pat on the back" The last statement caused the girl to have a semblance of hope that everything was going to be okay before the Hunter slammed his hand on the table in front of her "and a slap on the wrist" and that final statement immediately crushed any hopes the girl had about this situation turning out alright. The Hunter then audibly sighs "But… there is someone here who would like to meet you."

Not a moment later, a woman enters. The woman had white skin, like the color of snow, had bright red eyes, her hair was tied up in a huge bun and probably the most distinguishing factor of all was that she had a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead. She wore a black robe that went down all the way to her feet, covering her footwear. On her right hand was a hot cup of tea, which she immediately set down on the table in front of her and took a seat opposite the girl

"Cinder Fall" The woman said, smiling at the girl in front of her "Hazel here tells me you're quite the skilled fighter. So, tell me, where did you learn to do all this?" The woman asked, pointing at the table Hazel was holding up which was currently replaying the fight Cinder had earlier.

"Um.. Signal.. Academy?" Cinder answered

"They taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed this effectively?" The woman asked Cinder, not breaking eye contact with her for even a second

"Well, yes.. The teachers there are really great but it was one particular teacher that taught me how to fight like that"

"Hmmm.. It's just that only one woman comes to mind when talking about swords.. A dusty old Raven"

"Mmhmm.. That's Aunt Raven" Cinder answered with a smile, more than familiar of who she was talking about "Well, I say 'Aunt' but really, she's just an old family friend who I've come to consider family. Truthfully speaking, I was complete garbage before she took me under her wing and now, after more than a decade of being her student, I've become quite the skilled fighter, if I do say so myself"

"I can see that.. And what is a young lady like yourself think she's doing at a school that was designed to train warriors?"

"Well, I wish to be a Huntress"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, of course. I've already graduated from Signal and I've already been accepted into Beacon. It's not just me, either. Two of my friends are also going to Beacon this year and with them, I hope to graduate and go out into the world, be a Huntress, and slay monsters. After all, Aunt Raven always did say to help people who are in need and so, I thought, 'Might as well make a career out of it' and so, here I am" Hazel only stared at the girl, perplexed by what she just said while the woman only smiled at Cinder, amused by what she just said

"Do you know who I am?" she asked Cinder

"You're Professor Salem. You're the Headmistress at Beacon. It is very nice to meet you" Cinder answered with a beaming smile

"Hello" Salem replied back with a smile of her own "You wish to study at my school?"

"Yes. That has been a longtime dream of mine" At that answer, Salem then looks at Hazel, who could only let out a long sigh as what the Headmistress was thinking

"Wonderful. Then, I suppose Mr Rainart and I will overlook what happened tonight and allow you to enroll into Beacon"

/

 _The Next Day, on the Bullhead ride to Beacon_

"-cury! Mercury!" the green-haired girl shouted at her friend. The girl had medium-brown skin and dark-red eyes with her hair styled with a straight fringe and bangs, as well as two long locks on each side. She wore an intricate white top and a cropped olive-colored undershirt. She also sports white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt where her twin pistols are kept in a single pouch "Are you listening to me?!"

The boy she was yelling to, Mercury Black, only sighed and took out his headphones to find out what it was his friend was talking about. Mercury was well-built with gray eyes and hair, which was partially slicked back while unkempt at the front, and he had a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket that covers his upper body. He also has a sash draped over sing single notched belt and a set of braces protecting his arms. On his legs were black pants and a set of boots that is also his main weapon, being equipped with a firing mechanism built into them.

"What do you want, Em?" Mercury asks, sighing audibly at the girl "Can't you leave me alone for at least a day?" 

"I said Cinder's already at Beacon, seeing as she texted me earlier that she had a run in with some criminal last night and Professor Salem, Beacon's Headmistress"

"Yeah, I know that, Em" Mercury answered, picking up his scroll "She texted us _both_ , remember?"

"That's not the point, Mercury. What is she had gotten hurt? I'll never forgive that Jaune Arc for laying a hand on Cinder"

Meanwhile, a monitor across the Bullhead was just relaying the news regarding the incident that Emerald and Mercury were just discussing _"The robbery was led by famous criminal, Jaune Arc, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the VPD"_ The screen showed a mugshot of Jaune smiling smugly at the camera. Suddenly, the screen changed to show a hologram of Professor Hazel Rainart.

"Who the heck is this chick?" Mercury asked Emerald

" _My name is Hazel Rainart"_

"Oh"

" _Being here, right now, all of you are among the privileged few who have been selected to received the honor of attending this prestigious academy that is Beacon. Currently, our world is in an unprecedented time of peace and it is your duty as future Hunstmen and Huntresses to maintain that peace. Each and every one of you here has demonstrated the courage needed to perform such a task and therefore, it is now our turn to guide and to nurture you with the knowledge that you require so that you may protect our world"_

Emerald, excitement welling up inside her, walked towards the edge of the Bullhead, taking in the magnificent view of Beacon Academy. Mercury also decided to join her and, after seeing the academy up close, was impressed with the view as well.

"Gotta admit, this sight is pretty impressive" Mercury said

"Tell me about it. Not even you can take away this excitement of mine" Emerald replied, still amazed at how huge Beacon is.


	2. Chapter 2

As the Bullhead containing the newly enrolled first-years of Beacon landed, student after student came pouring out, each one wide-eyed and filled with excitement as they took in every inch of the campus that was to be their new home for the next four years. Emerald Sustrai was not an exception to this.

"Wow.. So, this is Beacon, huh?" Emerald said, as she stood before an archway that led into Beacon "It's even more amazing up close. Can you believe this is a school, Mercury?" She asked her friend but when she received no response, she turned around only to see that he was nowhere to be found "Damn it, Mercury!" Immediately, she started to look for her friend who had suddenly disappeared. After a few moments of looking around, she saw Mercury nearby talking to a Faunus girl with dog ears.

"Hey, there. Mercury Black. And who are you?" Mercury asked the girl as he put on his most confident smile "You know, there's something wrong with my scroll. It doesn't have your-" Before he could finish however, he suddenly felt a stinging sensation on his ear as Emerald came from behind him and began pulling on his ear.

"Mercury! Honestly, can't you go _one_ day without trying to flirt with a random girl?!" Turning to the Faunus girl Mercury had bothered, Emerald began apologizing for her friend's behavior "I am so sorry for my friend here" Accepting the apology, the girl quickly took this chance to flee from the scene.

"Wait.. I-.. Damn it.." Mercury said as the girl quickly disappeared from the scene "Seriously, Em? Why'd you do that?" He asked, only to receive a killer glare from her. If looks could kill, Mercury would have been long dead by now.

"Just one day, Mercury.. One day.. That's all I'm asking" Emerald told her friend

"Ughh.. Fine, MOM.." replied Mercury, as he began to walk towards the Beacon auditorium "By the way, have you heard from Cinder yet?"

"No, but I'm sure she'll be fine.. It's Cinder, after all"

"That's not exactly a reassuring thought, Em"

"Heh.. I guess you're right.. Cinder can be a bit-" Before she could finish that thought, Emerald suddenly bumped into another boy's back, causing the both of them to fall to the ground, back first.

"Ow.." the boy said, rubbing his back as he slowly got up.

"Need a help there, buddy?" Mercury asked, offering the boy his hand

"Thanks" The boy said, taking Mercury's hand. As he got up, Mercury saw that the boy was taller than him, with red and brown hair spiking backwards. He also did not fail to notice that the boy was a Faunus, evident from the two horns on either side of his head. The boy's eyes were red and he wore a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves and more red designs with a white symbol on the left side while also sporting long black pants, black shoes, and black gloves while holding a katana on his right hand.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for bumping into you like that! I wasn't looking where I was going" Emerald said, immediately getting up and apologizing as hard as she could at the boy.

"It's fine.. I guess it's partly my fault for just standing in the middle of the path like that" the boy replied, rubbing the back of his head "I was just admiring Beacon, that's all."

"It's amazing, right?! I mean, I've read about how amazing Beacon is from books and I've seen pictures of it before but to actually see it up close like this is just breathtaking."

"Oh, boy.. You have to forgive Emerald.. It's been her dream to enter Beacon since she was a kid" Mercury said, explaining on behalf of his friend "I'm Mercury, by the way. Mercury Black." He said, offering a handshake to the boy.

"Adam. Adam Taurus" Adam replied, taking Mercury's hand "And it's fine. I think Beacon's pretty amazing, too"

"Hi. I'm Emerald Sustrai. Are you a first-year, too?" Emerald asked.

"Yes, I am" Adam replied

"Awesome. So, which combat school did you go to? Mercury and I went to Sanctum before coming here"

"Oh… uh… I didn't go to combat school.." Adam replied, looking away "I was… A friend of mine trained me how to fight"

"Really? Considering you got into Beacon without attending combat school, that's pretty impressive" Mercury said

"Thanks. Well, I'll see you guys around" Adam said, before he made his was to the auditorium

"Not much of a talker, is he?"

"Oh, leave it alone.. We just met, after all" The duo then continued making their way towards the auditorium themselves. The both of them knew they were lost but neither one of them wanted to say anything, lest having it rubbed in their faces by the other.

"Hey Emerald, I got a question for you" Mercury said suddenly, as the duo was still wandering around Beacon.

"Hmm?"

"You ever wonder why the huntresses of the world look like they're all part-time supermodels?"

"Huh?!"

"I mean, think about it.. There's Professor Salem, the Headmistress, there's Cinder, there's also-" Mercury caught himself staring at Emerald before he could finish the sentence "I mean, look around you at all the Huntresses here in Beacon"

"You were about to say something about me, weren't you?"

"Maybe it has something to do with Aura…" Mercury said, ignoring Emerald's question. As the two teens continued on, before they realized it, they were finally in front of the auditorium where every first year was supposed to gather.

"Finally, we made it" Exclaimed Emerald "Now, I wonder where's Cinder" Emerald wondered aloud. Looking around the place, she saw a lot of people had gathered. From a guy with a bowler hat in a white suit talking to a short pink-haired girl to a pair of twins, with one of them wearing all red and the other wearing all white, " _The world really is a huge place, huh?_ " Emerald thought to herself

"Hey! Emerald! Mercury!" a voice shouted "Over here!" Looking around, Mercury saw that Cinder was in her usual clothes at the front of the gathering of students, right in front of the stage.

"There she is.. Let's go, Em" As the duo reached the front of the group, Emerald suddenly jumped on to Cinder, giving the raven haired girl a big hug

"Cinder! I was so worried about you when I heard about the attack! Are you okay? What happened? He didn't hurt you, did he? I'll kill that bastard myself if I have to"

"Calm down, Em" Mercury told the girl

"Calm down?! How can I calm down?! How can YOU calm down?! Our friend here was attacked last night by a wanted criminal. Cinder could have been hurt!" Emerald shouted, less than impressed with how nonchalant her friend was about the situation.

"Emerald" Cinder said "I'm fine. Really, I am" She quickly added as she saw the look of disbelief on the girl's face "He didn't hurt me and plus, Professor Rainart arrived just in time before anything serious happened"

"Pretty unlucky, if you ask me, for you to run into a famous criminal the night before school started" Mercury chimed in.

"Tell me about it. I feel like destiny has something against me"

"So, what was he like? Jaune Arc, I mean" Mercury asked, which caused Emerald to lean in as well, curious

"Honestly, I didn't fight him. He just sent a couple of his goons to do the dirty work for him" answered the girl

"That's disappointing"

"The guy sounds like a coward" Before the trio could continue with their conversation, Professor Salem appeared on the stage, accompanied by Professor Rainart.

"Shh.. Guys, quiet.. The Headmistress is about to start her speech" Cinder told her friends, excitement oozing out of her

"I'll… try to keep this brief, for your sake" she started "Now, each and every one of you gathered here today in this auditorium have come in search of knowledge. Knowledge to assist you in becoming a Hunstmen. How you use that knowledge will be up to you. Whether it be for the sake of the people or personal gain, once you have left this school, it is your responsibility to use the knowledge gained wisely. Your time in this school will show you exactly how huge a burden of responsibility comes with power. Thank you" With that, the Headmistress then walked off the stage and Professor Rainart made his own announcement

"Everyone, all of you here will gather in the ballroom tonight and tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed" He tells the group of students in a strict tone

"O… kayy.. Is it just me or did she sound… a bit off to you?" Mercury asked the two girls

"It definitely wasn't just you.. She seemed like she was in a different place" Cinder added

"Yeah but forget about that" said Emerald "Guys, can you believe it?! We've wanted to enter Beacon ever since our first year in Sanctum and now here we are!"

Cinder chuckled at her green haired friend "Yeah, I guess it is kind of hard to wrap your mind around. Well, in any case, I think we should get our stuff- wait, where's Mercury?" Cinder asked, suddenly aware of her gray haired friend's disappearance

Looking around, Emerald could only sigh as she found her friend, as he was talking to a pair of twins "I'll get him" she told Cinder and not a moment later, Emerald was seen dragging Mercury away from the twins

[That night, in the auditorium]

The auditorium had been divided into two sides, one was for the boys and the other for the girls. Cinder was, obviously, on the girls side and was lying down on her stomach, in the middle of writing a letter home to her Aunt Raven when suddenly, Emerald came plopping down beside her, a smile on her face

"Hey there. Watchu doing?" Emerald asked

"Just writing a letter to Aunt Raven, telling her all about Beacon"

"Why? Can't you just use a scroll for that? Or the CCT?"

"You know how she is" Cinder answered, looking at Emerald "She's not exactly the biggest fan of modern technology"

"Or so she says" replied Emerald "She just doesn't want to admit she's terrible with stuff like that. Well, I guess that's just how old people are"

"Better not let her hear you talk about her like that" Cinder reminded her friend "She may be old but she's pretty much the best at fighting with a sword"

"Heh, yeah.. You're right about that" While chatting with Cinder on the floor, Emerald noticed Mercury talking to Adam, who was sitting by the corner of the room with his scroll in hand, his attention half-focused on his conversation with Mercury, the other half on his scroll "Hey, there's the guy I met this afternoon. Come on, I'll introduce you" Emerald said, as she got up and took Cinder's hand

"So, Adam, which combat school did you go to?" Mercury asked before he noticed the two girls approaching "Uh-oh. Heads up. Here comes trouble"

Confused, Adam looked up to see Emerald dragging another girl by the hand "Hey, Adam. Thought I'd save you from whatever hell it was Mercury was bringing you through"

"Screw you, Em" answered the silver haired teen, glaring at the girl

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Emerald replied, a sly smile on her face "Oh, by the way Adam, this is my friend, Cinder"

"Hello. My name's Adam. Adam Taurus. Nice to meet you" the faunus said, looking at the girl beside Emerald

"Hello. As Emerald just said, I'm Cinder. Cinder Fall. It's nice to meet you, Adam" she replied with a small smile "I hope we'll get along great for the next four years" A few moments of awkward silence followed after that, before Emerald spoke.

"So, Adam, I noticed earlier that you used a sword as a weapon?" she asked, intent on breaking the awkward silence

"Yeah, I do. It's actually more of a… katana" the boy answered, causing Cinder to perk with curiosity

"A katana? That's so cool. I make use of swords, as well. A pair of twin daggers, to be precise" Cinder continued, a slight hint of pride in her words. She then made her way closer to the boy "If you don't mind me asking, where did you learn to fight?"

"I uh… A friend thought me how to fight.. Since I was young"

"Hmm.. Is he a skilled Huntsmen?"

"It's a 'She', actually, and no, she isn't a Huntress but she is skilled" Adam replied as he looked down, deep in thought.

"Sounds like an amazing woman. I'd like to meet her someday" Cinder replied

"Well uh.. it was nice talking to you three but I think I'm gonna go to bed now. 'Early to bed, early to rise' and all that, after all. Goodnight" The faunus told the trio, as he shut off his scroll before getting up and making his way to his sleeping spot.

"Yeah, I think I'm out, too. See you tomorrow, Cinder. Emerald, we'll see" Mercury said with a smirk before the three friends parted ways for the night.

~Chapter 2 END~


	3. Chapter 3

Roman Torchwick was having such a pleasant dream. In the dream, he was in a hot tub, glass of champagne in one hand and a cigar in another. Servants, human and Faunus alike, were waiting at his beck and call when suddenly, a male servant made his way to him. Noticing this, Roman looked up to ask him what he wanted when he suddenly started to repeatedly poke him in the head.

"Stop that" Roman told the boy but the boy did not listen to him as he continued poking Roman in the head. After a few moments, Roman growled at the boy as he got annoyed and got up from the hot tub only to slam into a wall that came out of nowhere, causing Roman to jerk up from his sleeping bag. Dazed and confused over what just happened, it took a considerable amount of effort for Roman to finally notice the petite little girl standing over him.

The little girl had pink and brown hair with white streaks on the right side. She was wearing her usual clothing, which was a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. The little girl was looking down at Roman, a smirk clearly plastered on her face.

In response, Roman glared daggers at her, as he turned to his right to continue his sleep. This was proven to be a mistake as one moment Roman was lying down on the ground, the next moment he was a few feet above the ground and fell down with a thud, head first. Thankfully, his Aura had done its job and prevented any real damage from occurring.

Begrudgingly accepting that he had lost this fine morning, Roman slowly got out of his sleeping bag to get ready for the initiation that day and he was wearing a white silk pajama that was designed to look like a suit.

"Stupid Neo… stupid semblance.. stupid.. Beacon" Roman muttered, half-asleep and half-glaring at the girl, Roman made his way to the shared shower room "Couldn't let me enjoy my sleep, could ya?"

Neo could only smile at the question, as she started packing her stuff to get ready for the day as she waited for Roman to finish showering.

[A few minutes later]

A few minutes later, Roman had finished showering and was making his way towards his sleeping spot when he spotted Neo. Roman was wearing his usual white suit with long black pants and black shoes, a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat.

"You know, you could have just did it nicely and not given me a concussion to wake me up. That's what normal people do, Neo" Roman told the girl as he glared at her while he was packing up his stuff, to which Neo could only shrug in a _'What can you do'_ sort of way before tapping the man in the shoulder. Turning around, he saw Neo rubbing her belly "Come on, lets go get something to eat" Roman sighed, as the two made their way to the cafeteria

[At the cafeteria]

Roman had gotten himself a plate of pancakes while Neo had chosen to have her favorite food this morning, which was a simple big bowl of neopolitan ice-cream. As she was eating her breakfast, she decided to make some small talk with her friend. Tapping him on the shoulder, she pointed at his head before making a quizzical expression on her face.

"What, the hat? Is it necessary" Roman asked, to which Neo nodded in response "Of course it's necessary, Neo. There's no rule that says a well-trained Huntsman can't also be well-dressed. I mean, look at me. And then look at the other students here in the cafeteria. I'll bet that I am the most dashing looking Huntsman-in-training in this school"

Neo responded with a roll of her eyes as she continued wolfing down her bowl of ice-cream

"Also, you're one to talk. Who uses an umbrella as a weapon? Granted, it has a blade in it but still, not the most conventional of weapons, don't you think?" Neo could only look at him with a deadpan expression

"What? My cane?" Roman asked, earning a nod from the girl "That's different. Lots of people use canes as a weapon. I can't name you any of them now, of course, because that would take up a lot of time. Time which we don't have" Roman continued, as the two of them finished up their breakfast and continued on to the locker room area. On the way there, Neo again tapped on Roman's shoulder. She then pointed at him, then at her before joining her two index fingers together.

"You want to be on the same team?" Roman asked, to which Neo nodded "Well, I don't see why not but it wouldn't hurt for you to be on other people's team. That way, you could make new friends" Roman answered, which earned a small glare and a shake of the head from the petite girl. Before long, the duo reached the locker room area. It was already filled with quite the number of students, each of them prepping their weapons and getting ready for the day ahead.

"Come on, Neo. I won't always be there to help you, you know that right?" Roman said to the girl, who refused to look him in the eye, a small pout on her face. Giving up, the man sighed "Fine, I guess I'll go looking for you" Roman said in defeat, cheering the small girl up "Now come on, we don't wanna be late or anything" He told her, as he finished up. The duo then made their way out of the locker room with his weapon, Melodic Cudgel, in hand. Neo, too, had her own weapon in hand. A simple, yet deadly, umbrella.

"Those two sure did sound excited" Mercury muttered to himself as Roman and Neo walked by him "Wonder why?"

"Oh, forget about that. Did you see what the guy was wearing? I mean, a bowler hat and a suit?" Emerald told the boy, snickering at the thought of Roman's outfit

"Oh, tell me about it. Did you see his weapon? Out of all the weapons the students have in Beacon, a cane is the last thing I'd expect for someone to fight with" continued Mercury, sharing a laugh with Emerald.

"For the life of me, I can't figure you two out" Cinder told her two friends as she finished preparing, her twin daggers ready and strapped to her back "I mean, one moment the two of you are fighting like an old married couple and the next, you guys are making jokes together. What is that, a new way of flirting?"

Almost instantly, Mercury and Emerald instinctively took a step back from each other, the both of them suddenly unable to look one another in the eye.

"Cinder! Don't say that! That's not funny!" Emerald protested, a slight tinge of red on her face "I mean, it's Mercury. I would not go out with him even if he were the last guy on the planet!"

"Screw you, too, Em" Mercury said to the side "I'll see you guys later. There's a pair of twins I wanna say hello to" the boy continued before making his way to two identical twins who were getting ready for the day ahead "Hey there, Melanie. So, this is the sister you told me about, huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Mercury" the boy said, introducing himself with a suave smile and a handshake.

The response the boy received was given in the form of a long, cold stare by the girl in red "Melanie, who is this loser?" the girl asked, looking at her sister while putting on her claws "Do you know him? He seems to know you"

"That's impossible, Miltia" replied the twin in white as she strapped on her heels "I've never seen him before in my life"

On that note, Mercury felt as his whole world was shattered "W-What? Don't you remember? It's me, Mercury. We talked for a while yesterday" the boy said, as Melanie hummed in response "And hey, I've heard some talk about team formations. Maybe if things go well, the three of us could be on the same team, huh?"

"Hmmm.. You're pretty funny, you know that?" Miltia said as she finished making her preparations. The twins then started making their way out of the locker room "But sorry, gray's not really my color"

"Or mine" Melanie added as they left the room, leaving Mercury in a state of shock

"That's rough, buddy" Emerald said, as she came from behind, a hand on the boy's shoulder "Better luck next time, huh?"

"Come on, Mercury" Cinder added, as she dragged him back up "I'd prefer it if we weren't late for initiation"

[A few minutes later, at the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest]

Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Neo, Adam, Melanie, Militia, Roman along with other students were lined up in front of the Headmistress with Professor Rainart standing beside her.

"Now then, students, before we begin this year's initiation, Professor Rainart and I would just like to say a few words" Professor Salem started, looking at each of the students in front of her intently "I trust that each and every one of you here have trained for years to become efficient and effective warriors. And today, your abilities, whether they be individual or the ability to work as a team, will be tested in the Emerald Forest you see before you"

"Now, I have no doubt that all of you here have heard rumors regarding the formation of teams" Professor Rainart added "Let me put an end to any confusion you may have. Each of you will be given teammates. Today" This earned groans from some of the students standing in front of him while a certain brown and pink haired girl looked at her companion in a white suit expectantly, who could only give a thumbs up and a smile in response.

"I want you to know that these teammates will remain with you for the rest of your time here in Beacon. Therefore, it is in your best interests that you find someone that you can work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner" said the Headmistress

" _Hmmm.._ " Cinder thought to herself as she took in what the woman just said, looking at her two friends who, as expected, were trading banter with one another " _Who should I partner up with? I work better with Emerald than Mercury although he has his strengths. Should I just let destiny decide? That sounds like a good idea_ "

"After you've partnered up" Professor Salem continued "You are to make your way to the northern end of the forest. Do not let your guard down as you _will_ meet enemies along the way. I advise you to not underestimate them as the chance of death during initiation is highly likely"

"Exaggeration much?" Roman whispered to Neo, earning a snicker from the girl.

"Additionally, all of you here will be graded for the duration of the initiation however, our instructors will not intervene. There will be an abandoned temple at the end of the path. There, you, as a pair, must choose one relic found in the temple and bring it to the top of the cliff. You will be graded appropriately in accordance to how you protect the relic that you chose. Now then, are there any questions?" the woman asked, only to be met with silence from the students in front of her "Excellent. Now then, before I forget, it would be wise for you to prepare a landing strategy"

"Wait, what?" Mercury asked, confusion on his face "Landing strategy? What do you mean landiiiiiing-" the boy shouted, as he was suddenly blasted into the air by the mechanism under his feet. This was followed by the other students being launched into the air shortly after, signifying the beginning of this year's Beacon initiation.

~Chapter 3 END~


End file.
